Mayor Gregor Robertson and Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault have one thing in common.
They keep their game plans close to the vest.
Robertson appeared at a city hall news conference Tuesday that was called to purportedly announce civic celebration plans, should the Canucks challenge again for the Western conference championship or even the Stanley Cup this spring.
The June 15, 2011 home ice loss to the Boston Bruins sparked a drunken riot that caused an estimated $5 million damage downtown.
Robertson officially kiboshed another city-sponsored outdoor viewing party downtown but said families will be encouraged to gather at community centres and hold block parties. Robertson offered few details for the work-in-progress.
The actual celebration events that are going to be planned over the coming weeks, thats in process now and figuring out what will work in each community, whether its a community centre, a block party, what supporters or sponsors can come on board, Robertson said. Thats all being mapped out now.
When pressed for a cost estimate, Robertson would only say that community centre events would cost $100,000.
Everything will hinge on how long each series goes, how long the playoffs last, Robertson said. This is a scaleable plan. At this point it would all be projection. Our police are working on their (budget) projection as they do ever year, the other agencies involved are obviously developing those plans.
No Canucks Sports and Entertainment executives were present at the news conference, which was co-headlined by Vancouver Deputy Police Chief Doug Le Pard and John Furlong, the VANOC chief executive who was paid almost $89,000 for working on a $313,000 provincial government-funded review of the 2011 riot.
The Canucks are expected to launch their This is Our Home playoff ad campaign on Wednesday. The franchise and Rogers Arena are privately owned by the Aquilini family, which grossed more than $40 million in ticket sales for the 14 playoff games in 2011.
You can expect to hear from the Canucks very soon, Robertson said. They have their own plans to roll out. Frankly, talking about the playoffs, we dont want to jinx the Canucks.
Provincial and regional health authorities will launch an anti-binge drinking ad campaign targeting youth. Police and city officials plan to monitor social media and TransLink will restrict the flow of downtown-bound riders on SkyTrain, should there be a mass-migration downtown on game nights. LePard said the force has cooperation from regional municipal police, Transit Police, RCMP and the provinces Policing Services Division, but he gave no hint about budgets.
We cant allow the toxic soup that we saw last year occur in Vancouver, we need to interdict it much earlier, LePard said.
The Canucks have applied to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch to sell booze and show away games at Rogers Arena. B.C. Place Stadium has made no similar application. There are only two vacant days on the stadiums schedule between mid-May and mid-June.
The odds, however, are heavily against the Canucks returning to the Stanley Cup final and winning the championship in 2012. Only the 1984 Edmonton Oilers and 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins were runners-up one year and champions the next since the National Hockey League began expansion in 1968.
The Canucks are 11-8 in regulation and 9-6 in tiebreakers since beating the reigning champion Bruins on Jan. 7 in Boston in what many Canucks fans call Game 8. In 12 March games, opponents have outscored the Canucks 31-26 and star forward Daniel Sedin is out indefinitely with a concussion. The Canucks have six games remaining and trail the St. Louis Blues in the race for first place overall and home ice advantage through the playoffs.
Playoffs begin April 11. June 15 is the last possible day for the Stanley Cup final, according to the NHL schedule.
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